


Practical or Brave

by CharlotteSays



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-07-07 11:04:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15906993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlotteSays/pseuds/CharlotteSays
Summary: Therese Belivet doesn’t believe in fate, destiny or any of that second chance kind of stuff. It’s all fairytales right? We’ll wait and see.A first meet fic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I’ve been reading fanfics from the Carol fandom for a while and they’re just all amazing so I thought I might try and have a go and see what I could come up with, I really love the film and their relationship and so I hope I can do it justice!
> 
> This first chapter is just introducing Therese, I wanted to build up the scene until I bought in all the other characters:)

Therese had never believed in second chances, in fate or destiny bringing you what you wanted when you least expected it. The idea that suddenly your life could change for the better in the space of a few minutes or seconds just seemed unreal to Therese. It seemed like the things that parents would tell you at bedtimes, when they would read the story of a little princess who worked as a slave, or got cursed by an evil witch until she eventually found her prince and lived happily ever after in a castle with servants and an entire kingdom to rule over.

She had finished believing in fairytales a long time ago. She had stopped thinking that somehow she would eventually be rescued from the dreary reality of staying in the same town, staying amongst the same people with the same beliefs and the same boring life. Therese didn’t hate where she was, she just longed for a bit of excitement. The fact that she didn’t have many friends didn’t help, but the friends that she did have, especially Genevieve and Danny were always there to lend a shoulder to cry on and to listen and help whenever they could. She didn’t normally get that kind of support.

Therese had done a lot of growing up when her parents had died. An ‘accident’ the police had called it when they told her. It was at age 16 that Therese realised that perhaps her parents hadn’t driven off of that bridge by accident, they had left their 10 year old daughter alone to fend for herself in foster care placements and care homes for 8 long years on purpose. After all, she had never been adopted because people didn’t want the older ‘problem’ kids as they were so often labelled. No, they wanted the young babies that they could adopt and watch grow up, watch them take their first wobbly steps and say their first words like “mama” and “dada” whilst their real mum and dad were probably junkies lying in a ditch somewhere on the other side of the state.

Therese couldn’t blame them, if it was a choice between a baby and a sullen teenager she would have picked the baby anytime. Not that she was ever really bothered about having her own children, it had never been anything she was interested in. Whilst the other girls were busy playing with their plastic baby dolls, Therese was reading or climbing trees or playing trains with the boys, anything that wasn’t too girly. It was only when she grew up and started to mature that Therese become more feminine, transitioning out of the tomboy stage once she had hit puberty.

Therese had made it out of the other side though and grown into a 23 year old woman, confident in herself and her ability to get on with things, however difficult they might be. She had secured herself a job at a local bar close to where she lived, it wasn’t the most well paid but the wages covered the bills and that was all that mattered to Therese. She had never been the frivolous sort, things that weren’t necessary weren’t purchased. Instead she chose to treat herself on a new book or a new film every month or so, just something small but it always made Therese happy to see her hard work pay off in terms of paying for her accommodation and her bills. 

Her time spent in the care homes had made Therese understand just how important it was not to rely on anyone else, if you wanted something done properly you had to do it yourself and it was that life lesson that she took with her when she left. You should always, always find a way to achieve what you want and never rely or expect other people to do it for you. They more often than not disappoint. Therese had become accustomed to disappoint and regret and heartbreak but it never made it any easier for her. Especially as time went on and she grew up and got boyfriends who let her down because they thought that since she was living in a care home it was okay, she didn’t count as a proper girlfriend. After all, she didn’t have any parents to look out for her. Eventually she ditched the cheating boys, never expecting to find anyone else.

That was, until Richard came along. 

Richard was kind and caring, he was handsome and punctual. He never missed a date or an opportunity to buy her gifts but most important of all, he made her feel safe. However much Therese liked to be independent, it was nice sometimes to feel like someone cared and was watching out for her. Richard was constantly there and although he wasn’t exciting at all, Therese didn’t hate spending time with him. 

She found it easier to be with him when they were with friends though, then he couldn’t ask her to have sex with him constantly. She more often than not refused at home, but it was sometimes easier to agree and pretend to be in the mood just to make him happy. Faking her orgasm was challenging but as long as Richard was happy at the end that was all that mattered to Therese, she always tried not to think about the fact that Richard had never managed to make her actually orgasm during sex. It was easier to pretend that it was Therese’s problem and not her partner’s disappointing sexual promise, he just wasn’t delivering what she wanted. It would pass soon, she told herself, just give it another couple of tries at some point. See how that works out. 

It didn’t help that Richard was obsessed with getting married, constantly mentioning it almost as though he thought that the more he mentioned it, the more likely Therese was to agree to his proposal. He had mentioned it at least four times seriously and hundreds of times in casual conversation just how much he wanted to marry Therese and have children and live a boring life together in boring harmony. She couldn’t see herself getting married to him, having his children and settling down as his wife, it just seemed so unnatural to her. 

Therese wanted a relationship that didn’t feel like so much effort, one that had an instant connection so she didn’t have to force herself to try to feel things for Richard all the time. There just didn’t seem to be a spark, not one that she could sense anyway. She never got that rush of giddiness that made her feel heady and dizzy and like she could do anything or be anyone, she had only ever experienced that once with one of her previous boyfriends although it hadn’t lasted long at all. The relationship was over before it really even started and that was when Therese had decided to give up on love and all that it stood for, chocolate was a much better boyfriend than any of them had ever been. Chocolate couldn’t speak or say the wrong thing, it was just there in a time of need and that was all Therese really wanted. 

Apart from chocolate Therese did have one other love, photography. She always had her camera slung around her neck or her phone in her hand just in case a photo opportunity was to strike, normally she chose to take photos of inanimate objects but she had begun to become more interested in people and their quirks, as prompted by Danny. Suddenly a whole other avenue opened up to Therese and she started to view the human race differently, pedestrians on the street, coffee drinkers in cafes, almost anyone who would give their permission for a photo. Therese would always explain that she was just an amateur photographer trying out different styles and techniques, thankfully the people she picked were almost always happy to have their pictures taken and so Therese would send them away with a smile and a wave and their email address or phone number tucked away in her pocket so she could send the picture through if she deemed it good enough for others to view.

There were always bad shots but as time went on, and as Therese became more comfortable with different angles and light on the streets, the quality of her pictures improved considerably. Suddenly she was proud of what she was doing and always relished in the replies that she got once she sent the photos through to her “models”. The praise was standard but the enthusiasm was always what made Therese smile, the fact that one little picture that had taken maybe 5 minutes to create had elicited such a lovely reply. And so Therese carried on taking pictures and working nights in the little bar a few blocks away from where she lived. 

That bar was where she would meet the blonde stranger who would change her life completely, not that she knew it, or would even think that anything like that would ever happen. After all, Therese Belivet didn’t believe in fate.

Right?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> God, I can’t believe it’s been almost 2 months since I’ve updated that’s mad, I promise I’ll try and do a lot more regular updates - life just gets in the way and college is mental at the moment but hey it’s all okay.
> 
> Thank you to win7wil for prompting me to write another chapter! It’s 1230am but I read your comment and thought I would try and write another update and so here we are.
> 
> Hope everyone is doing great, I love this fandom you’re all so amazing - please please let me know what you think! (Also sorry for any spelling errors, it’s kinda late and I’m mega tired but don’t let the mistakes deter you)
> 
> <3<3<3

It had been a long day for Therese full of trivial, boring things that just seemed to make her day drag even more. Working in the evenings had its perks sometimes but most of the time it just meant that Therese was bored senseless during the day with nothing to do to pass the time. After all, watching Netflix was all well and good for a couple of hours but there was only so much of ‘The Good Place’ that she could watch in an afternoon without getting too listless. She often started a shift at 5 and then worked until closing time but that just meant that Therese had a whole day to kill and she couldn’t go to the grocery store every day, she just found it impossibly tiring doing nothing.

Whenever Danny and Gen had the day off they would all go down to their local park with a couple of beers and sit and relax for the afternoon but that was rare, they were both so busy all the time and Therese hated asking them what they were doing and if they were free. It made her feel like a school child asking if so-and-so wants to come round for tea or to go and play out after school, not that Therese used to do that often anyway. Danny and Gen had their own lives, Danny had started a job with a local newspaper writing articles. He didn’t hate it but he was looking towards the big leagues, ever since Therese had known Danny he always aimed high, the higher the better. He was competitive sure but it was also about his own personal gain, Therese knew that he always wanted to be the best no matter what and she also knew that he would manage that. Danny was such a smooth talker and that boded well for a career in journalism.

Gen on the other hand, had just started up her own marketing and advertising business and was doing extremely well. Therese knew that both of her friends were on the path to success and that’s why she hated to divert them, it was as important to her that they do well as it was that she did well. Although working in a bar was her first step, Therese had bigger dreams and it was just a case of whether she was brave enough to start doing what she wanted to do. 

4pm eventually rolled around, Therese got off the sofa and slowly started to get changed. She had her bike today so she didn’t have to rush to get ready in order to walk the forty five minutes it took to get to work, instead she could have a pleasant twenty five downhill bike ride and not get to work a sweaty, hot mess after racing to get there on time. Marco, the owner of the bar normally made fun of her for that as though he assumed that everyone had the money to buy themselves a car just to go to work in. After all, the only other place that Therese really went to was the grocery store and that was just down the road so there really wasn’t any point in getting herself a little car, as much as it would have made carrying the bags back to the flat a lot easier. 

No, the bike was sweet anyway. A little powder blue one with a basket on the front that she could carry bread or a small dog in, whichever one she found herself in possession of at the time. She had been undecided about buying it but it ended up being one of the best purchases she’d ever made, she got to places quicker and she could put her bag and her phone in the basket which saved her carrying it to and from work – especially in the dark at night. It was much safer and it did make her life easier in the long run, even though she did have to cycle up the hill on the way home from work which she found incredibly painful and long. Cycling had never been her forte when she was a little girl and she used to hate going on cycling trips with her parents when they were alive but when she cycled on her own it felt like a fresh start and a separate thing that she didn’t have to associate with bad memories because she now had good memories about it that belonged to her and no one else. There were no arguments on her daily cycling excursion and that was just how she liked it.

Therese locked up her bike and shoved her scarf and coat into her locker as soon as she got to work, although it was winter it was actually surprisingly warm and so she fanned herself a couple of times before walking out to the front of the bar ready to start another shift. Marco wasn’t in that evening and so everything felt a little more relaxed, the chefs were a lot less stressed as although everything had to be up to a suitable standard, there wasn’t any Marco shouting at them from one end of the kitchen to the other, that their efforts were not good enough and if they couldn’t even cook decent food they should just get out right now. They’d lost two chefs and three bar staff because of Marco and so Therese had taken on as many extra shifts as she could get, she was liked because she was reliable and trustworthy and never failed to turn up to a shift unlike some of the other girls.

Therese looked around the bar, it was mostly empty but then it was only five and most of their regulars would come in a bit later. There were a couple of tables booked for 7 but it definitely wasn’t going to be a busy night, Therese could tell by looking at the half empty tip jar that it hadn’t been busy all day so she was hardly expecting it to pick up later in the evening. 

Therese wasn’t aware that someone had seated themselves at the bar stool in front of her until she heard a low voice speak behind her.

“Can I please have a merlot?” Therese put the glass down that she had been polishing and turned around, expecting to see an older greying lady she was surprised to see a blonde haired woman perched on the stool with one leg crossed over the other. The epitome of elegance.

“Of course, I’ll just get that for you now madam.” She said, trying to sound as formal as possible. She was strangely desperate to impress the woman sitting in front of her and so it seemed important that she addressed her with respect. What Therese wasn’t expecting was for the woman to laugh, almost too quietly to hear and hold out her hand.

“Oh don’t call me madam, that makes me sound far too old. Just Carol will do.” Therese took her hand and shook it, marvelling in their brief moment of contact at how soft the woman’s hands were. She felt almost embarrassed by the state of her rough palms, making a mental note to go out and buy some hand cream as soon as possible.

“And what, may I ask, is your name?” The woman, Carol, asked with a small smile.

“Therese, Therese Belivet ma- I mean Carol” she said, feeling strangely nervous and intimidated by the woman sat in front of her.

“That’s lovely” Carol mused, not realising she had said it out loud. Therese looked at her, this beautiful woman sat on a bar stool, and wondered just for a split second what it would be like to fall into her arms after a long day before chastising herself for being ridiculous. Carol was unaware by this inner dilemma taking place within Therese but she looked on amused as Therese continued to stand there just watching Carol for a minute or two before remembering the Merlot and setting it down in a large glass on the bar.

“It’s on the house” Therese said with a large smile “Just for you.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really unsure about this chapter, it took a few re-writes because I'm just incredibly worried that the characters don't feel the same but I'm not sure. Christmas is such a busy time so that's why it's a lot later than I said it would be I'm sorry!! (Also sorry for any spelling/grammar errors, I'm going to go back and check through later when I can stand the sight of my own writing again haha.)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you've all had the most wonderful Christmas/Holidays and I hope you all have a lovely new year. 2018 has been a weird one but it brought me to this fandom so it wasn't all terrible;), enjoy yourselves!!
> 
> Charlotte Xx

The blonde woman was talking animatedly as she sat at the bar, pausing every few minutes to take a sip of her drink and hum appreciatively at comments that Therese interjected every once in a while. It was just small talk, like what films they loved and where they came from but it seemed like more than that to Therese. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the woman sat in front of her; the blonde hair that fell in perfect bouncy waves to her shoulders, the grey-blue eyes that seemed to change colour every time she laughed and the red lips that Therese unconsciously kept looking at. 

One word kept springing to the forefront of Therese’s mind. Beautiful. Because Carol truly was, possibly, almost definitely, the most beautiful and mysterious woman that Therese had ever seen. She stopped daydreaming when she noticed Carol looking at her, an inquisitive expression on her face, head tilted slightly to the side and slight smile on her face as she looked at the young bartender. Therese stared back, mouth slightly agape as she tried to remember what Carol had been saying before Therese slipped into her own thoughts but it was impossible, she had to admit defeat.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.’ She said, cheeks slowly turning red as Carol laughed, a low rich sound that made the hairs on the back of Therese’s neck stand up. ‘Sorry.’ She repeated, a small smile gracing her lips although she continued to blush ferociously as Carol laughed. 

‘Oh, don’t apologise. I was just asking how such a pretty young girl like you ended up in a bar, although it is a lovely one.’ She took another sip of wine, looking at Therese over the top of her wine glass questioningly.

‘Well,’ Therese begun. ‘I don’t really have the money to go travelling around the world, or the interest.’ She placed the glass that she had been polishing on the rack behind her, turning back around to face Carol. ‘And the job that I really want to do is likely to not make the money that I need.’

‘And what is it that you want to do?’ Carol asked as Therese poured her another drink and slid across the bar surface.

‘A photographer.’ Therese said, her face lighting up at the thought. Carol smiled in return, taking a sip of her drink.

‘Hmm, a photographer? ’ She asked, watching Therese’s face closely as she struggled to think of an answer.

‘Yes, a photographer. Although I’m not sure I really have much talent, I just enjoy taking pictures of moments in time and freezing them forever. It’s just really special, you know? Therese replied, grabbing the cloth and another glass to polish just so that her hands had something to do. 

‘Isn’t that something that other people let you know you have? Talent, I mean. You just have to try as best you can with the materials you have, keep what you like and throw away the rest?’ Carol said, her head tilted slightly on one side, her eyes slanted as she waited for Therese to reply.

‘I guess so. I’ve just never really been told if I had talent for anything, I’ve always had to make my own decisions but it doesn’t mean I’m any good at it.’ She laughed almost bitterly and walked down the bar to serve someone who had just arrived, Carol looked slightly confused as Therese walked away but downed her drink and slid the glass across the counter to be refilled when she walked back in Carol’s direction. ‘Look, Therese sorry I didn’t mean to upset you.’ Carol ran a hand through her hair, tangling some of the curls in her fist before letting them go with a sigh. 

Therese looked up, surprised. ‘You didn’t upset me.’

‘Oh. I just thought because you’d walked over there and you looked-‘

Therese put her hand on Carol’s to stop her talking, her face went red almost immediately after as Carol looked down at their conjoined hands and made no effort to move hers. Therese settled with patting it quickly and moving away under the guise of washing up another glass. She was seriously running out of glasses to wash. ‘No, you didn’t upset me. I’m just worried about what I’m going to do but that’s not your problem so it’s okay.’ She noticed Carol’s glass on the counter and picked it up by the stem. ‘Anyway, same again, or would you like something a little more, exotic?’ She raised her eyebrows at Carol who pretended to think for a moment.

‘I’m in the mood for something different, surprise me.’ Carol said in her low voice, Therese imagined it sounded almost flirtatious but shook herself out of it. No one as beautiful as Carol could ever flirt with Therese, surely. She smiled and turned around, picking up a fresh cocktail glass and adding rum, brandy, triple sec, ice and lemon juice into the shaker. She whirled around to face Carol and continued shaking up the drink as Carol watched on, laughing. Therese carried on shaking the drink before decanting it into the glass and adding a few sugared lemon rinds onto the side from the glass jar on top of the counter.

‘Now this,’ Therese said, smiling widely at Carol, ‘has two names. The first is called “The Maiden’s Prayer” but I normally use the second one. It’s called “Between The Sheets” which is much more fitting in my eyes.’ 

Carol’s eyes widened, clearly surprised at Therese’s boldness. She quickly recovered and pulled the drink towards her, wrapping her long fingers around the stem and looking up at Therese as she took a slow sip of the cocktail. She licked her lips as Therese looked on, mesmerized at the sight of Carol’s tongue reaching out to swipe her lips in order to get the few spilled drops of drink. Carol watched Therese’s previously flirty exterior melt away as she gazed at Carol, oblivious to the amusement on Carol’s face. 

‘So here’s the question you have to ask yourself,’ Carol said, changing the subject and shaking Therese out of her daydream. ‘In terms of working here or being a photographer.’ Therese nodded, waiting for Carol to carry on. ‘Well, are you going to be practical? Or brave?’ She looked at Therese, red lips slightly pursed waiting for an answer. 

Therese shook her head. ‘It’s more complicated than that though, nothing’s ever that easy. I can’t just have what I want all the time, I have to think about what’s going to pay the bills.’ Therese said, looking down at the floor and shuffling her feet around awkwardly before looking up at Carol again.

‘It’s always that simple. If you break it down and think about it, there’s always a way. You just have to see if you can find it.’ 

Therese gave a small hum in response to Carol’s answer, she rested her elbows on the counter and ran a hand through her hair, staring at Carol intensely. Carol stared back, her gaze unwavering as Therese sighed heavily and turned around again.

‘I just don’t know.’ She said, ‘I just think it’s a lot harder than that. Especially when I don’t know if I’m even any good. It’s just too risky for me.’

‘In that case,’ Carol replied, ‘I guess you’re being sensible then, and now I have to go. Thank you for the drinks they were delicious.’ She put a twenty dollar bill on the counter, picked up her handbag and swung it on her shoulders before giving Therese a wink and walking out of the bar swaying her hips as she did so. Therese smiled as she turned around, enchanted by the evening spent with this woman. It wasn’t until she picked up the money that she noticed the note underneath, the note that changed everything for her.

‘If you feel brave, give me a call,  
347-634-1405  
Carol Xx’


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> I’m so sorry that this chapter is late, I’ve not been very well so I haven’t been able to update.
> 
> This chapter is REALLY weak but I just needed to struggle through the writer’s block, hopefully the next one will be better. I’m not very happy with it but I just needed to post it so here you go, thank you all for being so patient! Hope you’re all okay❤️
> 
> Lots of Love,  
> Charlotte Xx

It had been three days since their meeting in the bar and it was still all that Therese could think about, Carol seemed to be at the forefront of her mind ready to burst through at any moment in any situation not that that was a bad thing though. In fact, meeting Carol had to be one of the more exciting things to have happened in her life, she wasn’t exactly sure why she was so intrigued but it could have been down to the fact that Carol was the most beautiful woman that she had ever met and probably would ever meet. Therese couldn’t stop thinking about Carol’s laugh, her hair, her cheekbones, the way that her dress clung to her hips and rode slightly up her thighs every time she had crossed her legs. Therese wondered what it would be like to run her fingers through that hair, wondered what it what feel like to move her hands gently up those thighs, wondered what it would be like to kiss those cheekbones before moving her lips to Carol’s lipstick stained mouth, wondered what she would taste like.

Suddenly Therese was woken from her reverie by a loud snore from Richard who lay on his back in the bed. She sighed heavily and turned over so she was facing away from him and closed her eyes again, trying to let sleep take over so that she didn’t have to think about the man sleeping next to her. Therese tried to drag her mind back to more pleasant thoughts like Carol but it seemed desperate to remind her of Richard so she sighed again and dragged herself up and out of bed and into the bathroom. The hot shower seemed to instantly soothe her, she had always loved having a hot shower since she was a little girl, always turning up the water to as hot a temperature as she could possibly stand. That seemed to have come from when her mom used to wash her hair when she was tiny, her hands were always cold so Therese had to turn up the temperature to try and stop the chill from spreading through her body. She never had been able to cope with the cold, always having to put on as many layers as possible to try and combat the low temperatures outside, especially in the winter months. New York was an awful place to be when it was freezing, the clusters of buildings made Therese feel even worse as they did nothing to prevent the bitterly cold atmosphere from seeping through her clothes and settling into her bones as she rushed through the streets of the city.

Therese finished washing her hair and body, turning away from the shower head to wring her hair out before turning the water off and stepping out of the shower, grabbing a towel and wiping her face as she did so. The sight of herself in the mirror made Therese pause for a moment, turning her face left to right as she looked at her reflection. She couldn’t say that she hated the way that she looked because she didn’t but there were definitely parts that she would have liked to change. Her nose was definitely first on her list, she had inherited her mom’s upturned nose and whilst some people said that it made her look cute, Therese strongly disagreed.

She definitely looked more like her mom than her dad, the prominent jawline and dark hair being almost identical to her mom’s meant that Therese had been subjected to a constant flow of ‘You look so much like your mother did when she was younger’ when she was around any distant relative at any family gathering as a child. Therese’s mom always had a sixth sense for when someone had said that so she always appeared, drew Therese into a tight hug, ruffled her hair and agreed as she laughed at Therese’s disgruntled expression. Therese had found it annoying at the time but looking back on it now she didn’t know why she didn’t hug her mom back, laugh and agree with it because as much as she hated being compared to her mother then, she had realised as she had grown up that it was a huge compliment.

She would have given anything to have hugged her mom one last time.

Therese looked at herself in the mirror once more before turning away and heading back towards her bedroom to get some clothes, she looked at Richard as she walked in; he lay there mouth slightly agape and legs spread apart with the comforter bunched up next to him. Therese tried to look at him lovingly but she couldn’t help but shudder when she saw him, the sight of his bare legs and grey boxer shorts were enough to put anyone off especially Therese who was definitely not in love with him despite the fact that she tried to tell herself and everyone else that she was.

Her mind drifted back to Carol again and the piece of paper that was in her work pants, Therese felt suddenly desperate to text her despite having no idea what she would even say. The idea of talking to Carol again sent Therese’s brain into a tailspin, there was no way that she wouldn’t make a fool out of herself; it was one thing to casually flirt in a bar but it was another thing entirely to message Carol and start a conversation that could lead to something else. Could. Therese knew that she was overthinking everything but the idea of something happening with Carol was too much for her to bear, she dressed into a t-shirt and dungaree dress quickly before ripping the piece of paper with Carol’s number out of her pants and grabbing her phone. She forced herself not to think too much and tapped out a quick message, pressing send quickly and throwing the phone onto the bed as though it had burned her.

_Therese_ : _Hey_ _Carol_ , _it’s_ _Therese_ _from_ _the_ _bar_ _the_ _other_ _night_. _I_ _got_ _your_ _note_ _and_ _thought_ _I’d_ _text_ _you_ _back_ _so_ , _hi_ :)

She didn’t use text slang for the message like she normally did with Gen and Danny, it just seemed too informal for someone like Carol especially when she was texting her back three days after they met. What if Carol had just forgotten about her, or what if Therese had been overthinking all of the flirting that they had both been doing in the bar and Carol wasn’t even interested she just wanted some fun, or what if she had been pitying Therese and felt as though she had to leave a note for her as a friend. Therese’s brain had gone into overdrive and she suddenly felt as though she had made a huge mistake; she needed to leave. Grabbing her phone and her coat she pulled her heeled boots on and ran out of the door, stopping to pick up her camera bag that had been strung over the chair from the last time she had used it.

The fresh air outside instantly calmed Therese down and she pulled her coat a little tighter around her, pausing to push the camera bag higher on her shoulder. She had forgotten to leave a note for Richard telling him where she was going but she supposed it didn’t matter now, she had the key anyway so he could just leave whenever he wanted although he would almost definitely be there when she got back, unfortunately. She crossed the road and walked towards the park, stopping to snap a photo of a woman beading bracelets on the pavement; she was clearly absorbed in her task and a cluster of children stood around her waiting for her to finish what she was making. Therese was amazed at the variety of people that could be found on the streets of New York, depending on the time of day she could always rely on finding at least one individual who was happy to have their photo taken and even if she couldn’t then there was always the local park which was filled with all of the objects for natural photography that Therese could ever want.

She sat down on a nearby bench and watched the world go by, looking at the children running around in the playground next to her; seeing them fly in the air on the swings, bump their heads, scream with joy when they shot out of the end of the slide. It was a simpler time, childhood, she thought, full of highs and lows although they could easily be fixed with a kiss to the forehead and a plaster on a scraped knee. Not like nowadays, when it took a lot more than a lollipop to cheer her up when she was feeling sad. Suddenly, Therese was broken out of her daydream by a loud chiming sound. Probably Richard wondering where I am; she thought, groaning as she pulled the phone out of her pocket.

  
_Carol_ : _Oh_ _hey_ _darling_! _How_ _have_ _you_ _been_? _Xx_

Therese stared at her phone almost at a loss for words, she hadn’t expected Carol to reply at all let alone that quickly and with kisses; although that could have just been habit she thought, trying to ignore the feeling that it evoked in the pit of her stomach. She forced herself not to reply straight away, she didn’t want to look too eager especially since she was so desperate to impress Carol. It was strange; Therese had met her three days ago and yet she was infatuated with the woman. Despite knowing hardly anything about her, she couldn’t stop herself turning the phone back on and typing out another message.

_Therese_ : _I’ve_ _been_ _okay_ , _pretty_ _tired_ _but_ _okay_. _How_ _about_ _you_? :) _x_

That was good, she thought. Casual but not too casual, the kiss on the end of the message made it seem like she was interested but not pathetically desperate, it sounded friendly and that was the best way to be at the moment. Packing up her camera and zipping up her coat; Therese pulled herself off the bench and started to walk slowly back to her apartment ignoring the excited feeling that had started bubbling in her stomach and spreading through the rest of her body making her feel light-headed and elated. ‘Darling’, she rolled Carol’s word around in her head as though she was tasting a rather delicious sweet, letting it linger in her brain as though she couldn’t bear to let it go, ‘darling, darling, darling’.

Therese let herself in to her apartment sensing instantly that Richard was still there, she was proved right when she walked into the kitchen and found him sitting at her table in his boxer shorts, mug of coffee in one hand and phone in the other.

‘Hi Terry, I was just about to call you. Where did you go?’ He looked almost comical sitting there, stupid grin on his face as he looked up at Therese questioningly. Therese inwardly groaned, she hated being called Terry, she’d asked him numerous times to stop calling her that but he hadn’t. Either he had forgotten or just ignored her but both of those reasons were equally as bad as each other, she thought that it couldn’t be too much to ask for him to just call her by the right name.

‘Sorry I went for a walk around, I meant to leave a note. Have you eaten?’ She started to look around the kitchen for a clean mug, needing to do something to distract herself from the thoughts of Carol that were flitting around in her mind.

‘No but I gotta leave in the minute anyway. Told David I wouldn’t arrive too late at the office.’ He took a loud slurp of coffee and Therese couldn’t help but shudder; Richard didn’t seem to notice though, he was too busy looking at some message that had just come through on his phone. He gave a loud hum and drained the rest of his cup, slamming it down on the table and stomping heavily into the bedroom. He reappeared moments later dressed and ready, kissing Therese full on the lips he pulled his shoes on and ran out of the door leaving a ‘love you Terry!’ in his wake.

Therese made a sound of disgust and wiped the back of her hand over her lips, ‘Terry’ she scoffed out loud before blushing as she thought of Carol’s message again, changing her mood instantly from repulsion to one of anticipation and exhilaration. She admonished herself for being so stupid, mooning over a woman who she’d spoken to once in person and exchanged a couple of texts with but then she heard her phone chime again and that was forgotten.

_Carol_ : _Oh_ _darling_ , _are_   _you_ _not_ _getting_ _enough_ _sleep_? ;) _I’m_ _okay_ , _I_ _just_ _wanted_ _to_ _know_ _if_ _you_ _were_ _free_ _sometime_? _Maybe_ _for_ _a_ _coffee_? Xx

Therese squealed, she felt like a schoolgirl but she couldn’t help the excitement that seemed to be coursing through her veins making her feel as though she was on fire. She was sure that Carol was flirting with her even a little and to think they might even go out for a coffee together, this time she didn’t hesitate to reply straight away, tapping out a message and smiling like an idiot as she did so.

_Therese_ : _I_ _guess_ _not_ ;) _coffee_ _sounds_ _good_! _I’m_ _nearly_ _always_ _free_ _in_ _the_ _day_ _so_ _it’s_ _completely_ _up_ _to_ _you_ _xx_

Perfect, she thought before sighing heavily and starting to clean up the mess that Richard had left around the apartment, just perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! I always love feedback and to hear if people are enjoying what I’m writing/if they think it needs some improvement<3


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